Tim Kee seeks CONCACAF $$ help

Raymond Tim Kee is not just sitting still and hoping that the problems of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) go away.

Last week, the new TTFF president attended a meeting in Miami, where he made a pitch before CONCACAF, seeking help from the parent organisation of regional football to assist the Federation in resolving some of its financial issues.

Tim Kee met for the first time with Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, who replaced former TTFF special adviser and main financier Jack Warner as CONCACAF president, following the latter's resignation in May 2011 as president of both the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF.

With Warner gone, Tim Kee took over a bankrupt organisation that owes millions of dollars, when installed as TTFF president on November 11, 2012.

"I am seeking to run the TTFF as a business," insurance man Tim Kee said. "When in immediate trouble, you often have to go to your parents for assistance. We have approached CONCACAF for assistance, even if it is in the form of a loan, which we will repay later. We presented a case for discussion. Nothing was agreed, but we put our proposal out there for consideration."

Tim Kee said it is no myth that the TTFF has no money. And among the issues he will like to see cleared up in 2013 is a settlement with the 2006 Soca Warriors, who have sued the Federation for a share of the World Cup profits.

Tim Kee also admitted that they owe money to several persons, including coaches such as former women's Under-17 coach, Norwegian Even Pellerud, who had not been paid for months.

"The TTFF owes million of dollars," Tim Kee said. "My aim, is to somehow try and resolve these issues.

"It's very unlikely that corporate Trinidad and Tobago will give us money to pay debts, and at the moment, the national team might not be able to full the stadium so we can collect at the gates," he said." But we have these problems to solve, and we have to work on solving them."

Tim Kee has also begun making organisational changes to the TTFF, including the putting in place of an internal audit and accounting unit.

He said things cannot be done arbitrarily by the TTFF as in the past. He further said proper systems of accounting and reporting will now be a norm, and it will help build a greater relationship with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Sport and corporate bodies.